


Good Fortune

by orphan_account



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, Get Together, Haru lost in his thoughts, M/M, Makoto being anxious, Nagisa "the cockblocker" Hazuki, luck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-17
Updated: 2014-01-17
Packaged: 2018-01-09 00:37:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1139372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haru and Makoto are planning on attending the same university after high school.  Seeing the anxiety Makoto is going through over being accepted to the school, Haru decides to try and help him out, with some unexpected consequences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good Fortune

**Author's Note:**

> For the "Surprise" theme of the makoharufestival.  
> Beta'd by miizudere

“You want us to come back next weekend too?” Makoto raised his hands to fend off Nagisa's imminent pouting, “Uh, actually, I have to set that aside for doing my application to the university...”

Nagisa's face fell, and Rei patted him on the back sympathetically.

“Now, now, Nagisa-kun, we'll be going through the same thing next year. It's important we give Makoto-senpai the time he needs to focus properly,” Rei intoned, perhaps hoping to set a precedent for himself.

“I know it's rare for all your sisters to be gone at once, but I really do need to get this done. I'll have to take a rain check,” Makoto apologized.

Haru didn't say anything. It was pretty much a given that if Makoto couldn't go, he wasn't going to be motivated to make the effort all on his own.

Since Samezuka had a swim meet next weekend again, Rin was automatically ruled out too.

“I guess it's okay...” Nagisa pouted, “You'll still come over though, right, Rei-chan?”

-

Haru was unusually talkative when he and Makoto rode the train back home that evening.

“Makoto, you haven't turned in your application yet?” he said quietly, looking up at him with a small frown on his face and his arms crossed over his chest.

“Gomen, Haru... I just, I know it's important, so I wanted to be able to devote the proper time to it. That's what I'll be able to do this weekend.” Makoto tapped his fingers nervously on his knee.

“You still want us to go to the same university, don't you?” Haru asked, his frown deepening. He was disturbed by the thought that Makoto's delay might mean he no longer wanted to attend this particular institution. The school in question had given Haru a full scholarship for swimming. Haru hadn't even applied anywhere else. Makoto turned slightly in his seat, addressing Haru earnestly.

“Yes, of course I do! I... I want to stay with Haru... you know that...” Makoto added hesitantly, searching Haru's face.

What Haru saw in Makoto's face was worry. He wanted to sift out the real issue behind this before saying anything else though. Suddenly his attention was drawn downward by a hand gently gripping his knee. It was an odd thing to happen in the first place, and Makoto removed it as soon as Haru looked down. It must have been meant as a sort of supportive gesture.

“Make sure you do it this weekend then. The deadline's coming up soon... I'm sure you'll make the team,” Haru tried to be encouraging of Makoto in return. Unfortunately, the scouts that had picked out Haru hadn't offered Makoto the same deal. He was certainly an excellent backstroker though, and would make a good addition to any team.

Makoto had to smile when he heard Haru's admonishment. It got even larger for the comment about making the team. He really did want to keep swimming with Haru if he could. Makoto knew that someday though, Haru was going to end up swimming places that he couldn't. Maybe by that time, he could be at Haru's side in a different way that would be just as good...

“Hai, of course, that's my plan... I've already devoted a lot of thought to the essay question, I'm sure I'll do well enough to get in,” he hoped he sounded more confident than his nerves were letting him feel.

 

'Ah,' Haru thought, 'so that was the problem.'

 

Haru didn't exactly have stellar grades, but he hadn't needed them. Makoto's were better than his, but they weren't perfect. Makoto was worried about being accepted in the first place. Haru sighed, tucking the information away, because there was nothing he could really do about it. He doubted they wanted him as a swimmer badly enough to admit his friend in trade. Not that he was worried about Makoto's chances. Being more of an athletics oriented school, it wasn't the most difficult to get into. Haru was pretty sure that Makoto was just doing that thing where he worried too much over everything.

“Don't worry Makoto, I already requested you as my roommate, so they have to let you in,” he said with finality.

-

'Stupid Makoto.' Haru tossed and turned all that night, unable to switch off his brain. He couldn't stop thinking about the small, offhand chance that Makoto might not get in. Finally, at half past one, he got up to get a drink. Maybe a snack too... All he'd been able to do was stare at his ceiling, wall, and floor for hours. Hunger twisted his stomach since dinner had been such a long time ago. Thoroughly annoyed now, he trudged down to the kitchen and pulled out some leftovers, popping them in the microwave. The glass of milk he poured was set on the table with a little more force than necessary.

He shouldn't be worrying. Makoto shouldn't be either. Wasn't confidence key with these sort of things anyway? An application wasn't always 'graded' the same as a test, especially the essay. Haru had heard somewhere that they looked more at how you presented yourself than how you answered the question. His essay had been entirely about the ocean. Haru wasn't sure if that had been a good or bad thing, but for him, he'd already been accepted. Submitting it was just a formality. Haru was lucky that the stress of the process had been lifted from his shoulders like that. He wasn't good with not knowing how things would work out.

Suddenly, his thoughts about luck converged with his wish that he could help Makoto to overcome his nervousness. If Makoto could just feel at ease, Haru knew the kind, warm person that he was would shine through in his application. Makoto would be accepted for sure. Haru glanced up at the clock. It seemed like quite a bit of effort to go to right now, digging it out... He wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep at all without taking some sort of action though. Getting up from his finished plate, Haru headed for a small closet near the back of the house that was used for storage. With a sigh, he began to pull out the dusty memories it contained.

Haru had lots of his grandmother's old things. Pretty much everything in the house had been hers. Having grown up here though, he hadn't really thought about it that way until after she died. It had just been 'the couch', not his grandmother's couch. While reminders of her were everywhere, there were very few of Haru's grandfather's things set out. He had passed on years earlier, and most of them had been packed away neatly. After his grandmother had gone too, Haru didn't let his parents redecorate.

Since nothing in the closet was labeled clearly, he had to go through two large cardboard boxes before finding the item he wanted. A small jewelry box, embedded with abalone, was what he had been searching for. The box itself had been his grandmother's, but he remembered that the mementos inside it had belonged to the love of her life. A pocket watch, a pair of cufflinks with sapphires set in them, a tie tack to match... Tucked into the back corner of the box was a small, smooth stone. Haru could almost feel the wonder and awe of those childhood stories seeping into his fingertips as he pulled it forward.

The tale went that Haru's grandfather used to take his exercise as a young man by running down the beach. One day though, he caught sight of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen while making his trek. With his eyes on her, and not the place he was stepping, this very rock had caught under his heel. He promptly tripped and fell, twisting his ankle in the process. Thanks to the intervention of this stone though, he was noticed by his angel. Perhaps it was not in the most flattering way at first, but they were married a year later thanks to it.

His grandfather had kept the wave tumbled rock on pure instinct at the time. He swore that after that, it had helped many things sway in his favor throughout the years. Haru could remember sitting on his knee and feeling very honored to get to hold the small gray piece of luck. Now, Haru knelt in the hallway of their house, practically grown, yet still felt the awe. His grandfather's stories must have held a grain of truth to them, because his grandmother had still kept the stone even after his passing. If it was just an amusement for a small child, why would it be in with such precious items?

After packing back up the mess he had made, Haru held the stone tightly in his palm as he made his way upstairs. He covered his mouth to stifle a huge yawn as he crawled into bed, leaving the stone on his nightstand. Tomorrow he would pull Makoto aside and give him the charm. He promised himself as he drifted off that Makoto would be accepted. They would attend the same college no matter what. They would stay together for a long, long time.

-

Everything was going according to plan the next morning, until he met Makoto on the steps below his house. Haru was planning to give him the lucky bauble as soon as they first saw each other, so he would have the maximum amount of time for it to take effect... But this strange sort of sweat-inducing fear built up in Haru the closer and closer he got. His palms were slick with it by the time he was standing in front of the tori. Haru hesitated to reach into his pocket for the stone with his hands in that state.

“Good morning, Haru-chan!” Makoto smiled and waved to him.

“Hey, Makoto.”

Before Haru knew it, they were walking along the street like normal.

Somehow, he felt... like he had just missed his chance... It was silly, really. He should just pull the stone out and give it to him right away. There was nothing stopping him. Glancing at Makoto out of the corner of his eye, Haru caught his taller friend looking at him. Makoto smiled, his head tipping slightly to the side.

“Are you okay, Haru?” Makoto asked, feeling his friend's behavior was a bit off today. The dark haired boy's exterior was always quiet, but it was like Haru was internalizing things very intensely, like he used to do... Makoto could practically see the wheels spinning in his head.

“I'm fine,” Haru answered, looking away.

They were coming up to the part of their walk that let them take in a rather spectacular view of the ocean. Haru busied himself with studying it as if he'd never get to see it again. The horizon reflected in his eyes as a soft breeze ruffled both his and Makoto's hair. Strangely, today Haru felt connected not just with the flow of the waves, but with the undulating stretch of sand they crashed into as well. What section of the beach was it exactly, where is grandfather had come into his luck? If looked at a certain way, this small stone was responsible for Haru's very existence. He felt it was symbolic somehow, the amount of time it must have spent in the water, to become so smooth.

“Haru-chan's very lost in his thoughts today, ne?” Makoto bumped him with his elbow. They had reached the gates of their school already, and Haru wasn't sure at what point they'd left the ocean behind. He'd seen nothing but waves and sand in his head for a long time.

“Do you want to copy my notes after school?” Makoto asked, only the smallest bit of teasing in his voice. He was implying there was little chance of Haru paying attention in class today. Not when he got like this. Makoto didn't seem upset by it though.

“Maybe...” Haru said with a frown, shifting the weight of his stance. The large possibility he would lose his focus on the lesson would mean that he'd be relying on Makoto afterward. Makoto who already had so much on his plate. Subconsciously, Haru reached into the pocket of his school blazer, his fingers wrapping around the solid weight there.

“Haru-chan! Mako-chan! You won't believe what happened to poor Rei-chan on the way over!” Nagisa's blonde curls were suddenly everywhere as he made his presence known. Haru and Makoto were hugged in an almost frenetic manner while Nagisa talked and pulled Rei behind him. He also waved to other students passing by while he chattered.

Haru blinked slowly a few times, letting go of the stone and feeling it settle back into the corner of the fabric.

“But it's your fault I got hit with it in the first place, Nagisa-kun!” Rei was huffing as he told his side of the story. Haru wasn't even sure what all was going on, but Rei looked relatively unscathed... He decided it must not have been anything too serious. The bell rang a moment later, and they all had to disperse.

-

Haru tried his best to pay attention in class so that he wouldn't cause Makoto any more stress. He vowed silently as they sat to give him the present at lunch instead. Really, it was like a present. It was practically a family heirloom... Haru hadn't hesitated at all to give away such a thing when he'd first thought of it, since it was for Makoto. He sat with his mind flitting between mathematics and Makoto erratically for some time. Mathematics lost.

The more he thought, the more Haru began to have this uncomfortable feeling of 'social custom' creeping up on him. Was it okay for him to give the lucky stone away outside the family? It wasn't like his parents had ever shown an interest in it though, and Haru really wanted Makoto to be happy. Makoto had assured him that going to the same school was what he really wanted. Plus, it would make Haru himself happiest if Makoto was with him...

Was it silly for Haru to be afraid Makoto might think it meant too much for him to be able to accept it? It seemed the kind of silly, over emotional response that Makoto might have... Haru didn't indulge other people in their unnecessary social gestures most of the time, but it didn't mean that he wasn't aware of how they worked. Or that Makoto was one who usually did observe them.

“Haru? Haru... It's time to go home, Haru...”

Haru finally snapped out of it when he heard Makoto trying to get his attention. The word 'home' made him frown sharply.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, looking askance at the clock mounted above the chalkboard. He was shocked to find it read 3 o'clock.

“I thought you were a bit more distracted than normal today... But yes, it's already time to go...” Makoto sounded slightly concerned, but like he was trying to make light of it too.

Haru didn't think it would be wise to tell him just how much time he'd really lost, thinking his complicated thoughts. Had he eaten lunch? He must have, because Makoto wouldn't let him not eat. Haru followed his best friend's back out of the room, and Makoto let him move up to his side as they walked.

“If you're going to jump in the pool, please don't stay in too long, Haru. It's really not warm enough yet, I don't want you to catch a cold again.”

“I wasn't going to... We're supposed to babysit the twins this afternoon, aren't we?” Haru asked, knowing they had plans already.

“We are... it's just, I wasn't sure if you needed to go be with the water. Sometimes when you think so hard, you forget about everything else. It's okay, Haru, I understand,” Makoto smiled at him.

Well, it was hardly something Haru could deny about himself. Though the water wasn't what was distracting him today...

“Makoto-senpai! I'm so glad I caught you! I need to talk to you!” Gou ran up to them with her book of notes before Haru could correct Makoto's assumption. For some reason, the words died in his throat with her presence. Makoto gave him a funny look, probably at the way Haru had opened and closed his mouth without anything coming out. Makoto's attention was then diverted by the young Matsuoka needing his advice as captain, so Haru waited quietly. It would have been too much to say patiently.

“Let's get something to drink, before we head back,” Haru said with a tiny huff once Gou had finally gone with her precious opinions.

Makoto had a feeling that whatever Haru had 'not said' earlier didn't have to do with beverages, but he held his tongue. Haru always let it be known in one way or another if there was anything 'important' bugging him. His demeanor didn't have that listless, apathetic feeling to it that meant Haru was in crisis, so Makoto wasn't too worried. Haru had proven last year to be a lot more capable emotionally than any of them would have imagined. Makoto knew his best friend wouldn't forget the lesson in what it meant to open up any time soon. If only Makoto could be the one to help him open up even more...

When Haru pushed the buttons on the vending machine, he selected Makoto's favorite first, the pineapple flavored soda. It dropped the can into the dispenser with a strange noise. One of each of the items in the column below his purchase were let go right after that. Haru raised an eyebrow. He pulled the soda out, along with a bottle of vitamin water and bag of chips. He handed the snack to Makoto along with his drink, knowing he'd share anyway.

“Haru, you didn't have to, I could have bought my own,” Makoto chided him, but there was no bite to it.

“It's okay, it just spit them all out, I only paid for the soda,” he said, and suddenly the memory of the stone seemed to tingle in his pocket. Nagisa heard the end of their conversation as he and Rei approached from their classroom.

“Rei-chan! Rei-chan! Give me some money for the machine, I want to try it out too!” he begged with sparkling eyes, “Maybe it will give us one of everything!”

Only one beverage was produced upon Nagisa's use of it though, and Rei wouldn't give him any more change to keep trying.

“We are perfectly fine sharing the one can on our way to the station, Nagisa-kun,” Rei said with an adjustment to his glasses. That seemed to brighten Nagisa's mood even if they didn't get any free stuff.

“Ah! Haru, we'd better hurry!” Makoto checked his watch and realized they had dallied a little too long with their various friends. They would have to hustle home now to make it in time for Makoto's mom to leave. Speed walking through town didn't seem an appropriate time to bring up the subject that had been weighing on him though, so Haru held back again.

Haru didn't want to say anything in front of the twins either... Or with Makoto's parents around... It just seemed like... a personal thing. Plus he didn't want other people asking a bunch of questions. He went to bed that night with the token still in his possession, and a strange feeling settling on his heart.

-

Every moment Haru wasn't looking at Makoto, he was plagued with a sense of urgency. He needed to just give him the stone already. Yet every time Haru did look at Makoto, his limbs seized up and wouldn't obey him properly. He'd never thought of his mind and body as two separate parts of himself until he was betrayed by the one of them. A low level of uneasiness graced his features at all times.

Tuesday was filled with more sweaty palms and frozen-up throats, just like Monday had been. At least he was self aware enough to remember lunch that day. The biggest difference between it and the day before was that he found a thousand yen in the street.

When Wednesday dawned, Haru tried to tell himself that today would be different. He stared at his reflection in the mirror for a few minutes before leaving the house. Every few moments he gave a resolute sigh, but that was the only sound. The pep talk he gave himself was all in his head, for all the good it did.

All day it seemed as though the world was conspiring to keep the two of them from having a moment alone. Why he needed for them to be alone, Haru wasn't entirely sure, but he didn't want to examine that part of it too closely. Besides, he was doing enough thinking about every other possible aspect of it to last him a lifetime.

He ended up asking Makoto if he could copy his notes again for a third day.

“Let's stop at the store,” Haru said, pausing at the edge of the building as they walked home. It was just a small convenience store, but they frequented it enough to be on a friendly basis with the owner. “I'll get us some ice cream with the yen I found yesterday,” he offered. It seemed to Haru that all he'd actually done this week was make Makoto's life harder, rather than help him. The least he could do was try and share the residual effects of his failure to give away the lucky stone.

“Ah! Tachibana, Nanase!” the shopkeeper, Hanemoto, called out to them. “You boys wouldn't happen to know anything about chest freezers, would you?” He was standing on the customer's side of the register, hands on hips, staring unhappily at a puddle of water on the floor.

“Um, no sir... That doesn't look too good though,” Makoto said sympathetically. Haru looked at the puddle briefly, but decided it wasn't anything worth getting worked up over. He shook his head and walked around the man to reach the cold box where the ice cream was kept.

“This is total crap...” Hanemoto sighed, then clapped Haru on the back, “Take as many as you want boys, on the house. They're already starting to melt anyway.”

“Are you sure, sir?” Makoto asked, hardly believing such a stroke of luck. Haru perked up at hearing it as well.

“Aye, I've no other freezer to put them in, and the repair man can't be here until tomorrow! I'll just be throwing the lot of them away in a bit here. You boys might as well take them off my hands,” Hanemoto said generously.

“Here, take it. We were going to spend it anyway,” Haru said, pulling out the thousand yen and placing it on the counter.

“Bah, I don't want your crummy thousand yen. If you two load up properly, you'll have more than ten times that when you leave,” he pointed out.

Haru had always liked that shopkeeper. He tried to 'forget' and leave the bill while they were piling slightly squishy treats into their arms anyway. Hanemoto caught the edge of Haru's jacket as he left though, stuffing the note back in his pocket.

“Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, boy. Go buy something else for him instead,” he chuckled, giving Haru a 'knowing' wink. At least that's the way it seemed... Haru wasn't exactly sure what it was he was supposed to 'know' though, so he only blinked back.

“Hai, thank you, Hanemoto-san,” he said with a small bow of his head, resorting to politeness in the face of the unknown. From down at the end of the block, Haru could still hear the shopkeeper laughing to himself. Makoto turned back to look at him, seeing he'd fallen behind a bit, and raised an eyebrow.

“What was all that about?” the brunette asked.

Haru just shrugged his shoulders.

They, Ren, and Ran were all sick that night from too much ice cream.

-  
By Thursday, Haru felt like the few days since he'd decided to give Makoto the stone had been years. Entire risings and fallings of the tide had taken place while Haru helplessly watched Makoto go about his cheerful life. Or rather, watched him try his best to. There was a tightness around Makoto's eyes that wasn't normal. Worry. When he sat, Makoto's shoulders had just the slightest stiffness in them. Stress.

Haru didn't like it.

The whole situation felt even worse for the luck Haru was experiencing. Just this morning, a huge test Haru was not prepared for had been postponed last minute. Ms. Amakata had called in with a bad case of ennui, and they'd had a substitute instead.

Completely irrational. The whole thing was ridiculous. Haru refused to call the way his eyes watered in frustration that night “crying”... It was only a tiny bit as he was trying to fall asleep anyway. He was mad at himself in a way he couldn't even describe.

“Give him the stone,” Haru said out loud in the darkness...

“Give. Him. The Stone.” like it was an order...

Underneath it all, fear had crept into his life over the last week. He was afraid of being alone, without anyone who understood him. He was afraid to examine his fear too closely, his fear of not having specifically Makoto.

“Give him the stone...” he said weakly one last time, pushing 'reason' aside. If he could just get his act together, just make it work out, Haru could evaluate the “why” of it all later. He would still have a later worth thinking about then.

-

Friday dawned with a warmer than usual breeze stirring over Iwatobi. Haru felt like his stomach was twisted into a knot. This was his last day, his final shot at handing over the stone. He could physically feel the sense of foreboding hanging over him. What was worse though, was that Makoto looked a little green all day too. Concerned classmates kept coming up and asking if the gentle giant was okay during all their breaks. It was really annoying to Haru, though he knew it shouldn't have been.

Haru planned on pulling him aside during lunch today, no matter who was around. His foot tapped nervously against the floor while waiting for those last few minutes to pass. Makoto gave him a questioning look when he noticed it. Turning away, Haru didn't say anything about the little non-verbal cue when the bell rang.

“Let's go,” he motioned with his head for Makoto to follow. Haru didn't really have a plan, so his feet naturally carried him toward their normal lunchtime meeting place on the roof. He forced himself to stop in the stairwell though, knowing once the rest of their friends were around, it would be too late. Rei and Nagisa were normally waiting at the top of the building for them, since their classroom was closer.

“Haru-chan! Mako-chaaAAAAAN!” Nagisa's voice suddenly called out to them, then took on an alarming tone. Haru closed his mouth again as both he and Makoto turned to look at the crashing noise behind them.

“Oi, Nagisa-kun, I told you not to run...” Rei's muffled voice came from the tangle of limbs and backpacks that was now the two of them.

“Oh my gosh, Rei! Nagisa! Are you alright???” Makoto hurried down to the landing below and tried to help them. Haru ended up on one side stabilizing Rei, while Makoto practically carried Nagisa up the rest of the stairs.

“How do you even fall up the stairs..?” Haru kind of huffed under his breath, but no one answered him. Nagisa's existence was all the answer the question needed.

“I think Makoto-senpai will have to agree with me now that you are heavier than you look, Nagisa-kun” Rei groaned. They hadn't been able to extricate them fully from the tangle of straps, so both backpacks were hanging off Nagisa's shoulder, and by extension, Makoto's.

“Your glasses...” Haru pointed out, seeing they were sitting at a funny angle on Rei's face, but that he'd been too out of it to adjust them yet.

“Ah, thank you, Haruka-senpai. Nagisa wanted to try the vending machine again, so we were delayed. His efforts to make up the lost time proved most futile though,” Rei sighed. They spent a significant portion of their lunch trying to undo the two backpacks from each other. At first, Nagisa tried to pull them apart, but to no avail. Rei stared at the knots for a while as they ate, but he couldn't make any logic of how the jumble had come to be. Therefore, he wasn't able to figure out how to unscramble them either.

Makoto poked and prodded at it too, but they were running out of time. Fast approaching the end of lunch, Haru finally stood up and walked over to the sorry looking twists of fabric. He grabbed the first strap he saw and yanked on it roughly.

The two backpacks fell away in his hands.

Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa all looked at him with open mouths and awe in their eyes.

“Haru-chan! That was amazing! Can you do it again?” Nagisa said, taking his backpack from Haru's hands.

“Don't you dare try anything of the sort!” Rei yelled at the shorter boy, grabbing his own bag protectively, “You should be thanking Haruka-senpai for fixing your mess!”

“Ho ho, you're right, Rei-chan! Haru!” Nagisa made a sort of jumping grab for their savior, “Thank you so much, Haru-chan!” he giggled, rubbing his cheek against him.

“Yes, thank you, Haruka-senpai, your assistance was, as usual, irreplaceable,” Rei gave a much more demure bow, and then began prying Nagisa off.

“It's okay, I didn't do anything special. Gahh, Nagisa, get off me!” Haru complained, frowning while he struggled in the blonde's arms. Just as he was finally being freed, Makoto smiled at him.

“Some people have all the luck, ne, Haru-chan?” Makoto's soft green eyes filled Haru's entire vision in that moment. His lungs filled with air, and then the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Haru let out a disappointed breath, and was the first to blink, effectively ending the moment.

Makoto chuckled as Rei was dragged away by Nagisa bounding back to their class. Haru found himself heading back as well by default, but with no spring in his step.

For the first time ever, Haru's mind was quiet. All during the rest of class, an empty sort of nothingness settled over his brain. He didn't debate anything in his head, and didn't hear a word the teacher said. Staring at his desk and then up at the clock every so often seemed all the entertainment he needed. If he'd been thinking clearly, he may have been freaked out by the state, but instead he felt strangely calm.

It was like, this was the finish line. He knew this feeling. He knew what to do in the face of mounting and culminating pressure, when the efforts of an entire race came down to one moment.

Two seconds before the bell rang, Haru abruptly stood from his seat. In only a few short steps he was standing by Makoto at his desk, trapping him from getting up with his proximity. Green eyes looked up at him quizzically as the bell rang.

“Here, I want you to have this,” Haru said seriously, placing the stone on the desk in front of him. Makoto glanced down, picking it up gingerly with his fingers, but was obviously confused by it.

“Um, okay...” he said, his combination of small frown, half a smile, and cheerful tone trying to get Haru to elaborate.

“It's a lucky stone. So we can be together,” Haru cut right to the chase, earnest importance radiating from him.

Makoto's eyes locked onto Haru's, and Makoto blushed bright red, his mouth falling open slightly.

The classroom exploded with the repressed noise from every student in it watching and waiting to see what was going on with Haru's strange actions.

Haru hadn't noticed the exaggerated silence until it ended, and he frowned as his surroundings came back into focus. His hand was being pulled on though, and suddenly he and Makoto were out in the hall. They didn't stop there, bags forgotten, and Makoto hauled him out of the building next.

“I can explain,” Haru tried to talk, but Makoto only responded with a shake of his head. He didn't stop until they'd reached the pool's locker room. Thankfully, it was empty since swim practice hadn't resumed for the season yet. Makoto released his hand, and turned to face him. To Haru, it looked like all the worry and anxiousness of the past week was being magnified into one expression on Makoto's face as he spoke.

“What did you mean by that, Haru?”

“I want us to stay together,” Haru explained, feeling like the air itself had grown thick between them all of a sudden, “If you could just stop worrying so much, you'd get in to the university just fine. That's why I want you to have the stone. It's been bringing me good luck all week. It really works...” Haru added almost feebly, watching the look on Makoto's face fall as he spoke. He looked down, feeling suddenly that he'd done something wrong, and added, “It belonged to my grandfather, and it's how he met my grandmother...” as if it would add to his case.

Makoto looked a little less crushed, and the tiniest bit thoughtful upon hearing that.

“You want things to stay the same, as they are right now?” he asked carefully, not putting anymore hope into this conversation just yet. Haru fidgeted under his gaze.

“Well, kind of, but, just in college instead... I want us to stay together, even as adults,” Haru said hopefully, unsure what to do to make the weird look on Makoto's face go away. The brunette was turning the stone over and over in his hands, seemingly marveling in its smoothness while he contemplated.

“Haru... I want to stay with you, but... But I don't want things to stay the same...” Makoto confessed quietly, resolution highlighting his voice as he gripped the stone tightly. It was now Haru's turn to look confused. He had this sort of guilty feeling that he should know what Makoto was talking about, but his head just couldn't connect the pieces.

“What do you mean?” Haru asked back, trying to sound as willing to understand as possible.

“I want to kiss you.”

The words just seemed to tumble out of Makoto's mouth without him having meant to say them. There was no way to put them back once they'd escaped either.

Haru blinked once, twice, processing.

“But, we're both boys...” he said quizzically, but not like he was upset by the declaration. It was almost as if he just wanted to make sure Makoto had realized that.

“I'm pretty sure it'll still work,” Makoto pointed out, matching the underlying innocence of Haru's response with a slightly teasing one.

Haru didn't blush often. Thinking about how there wasn't anything to keep him and Makoto from being able to kiss did produce one though.

“Haru-chan? Mako-chan? Did you guys really run in here?” Nagisa called out, sounding both concerned and nosy. The door to the lockers swung open to reveal him and Rei, and Haru had a flash of clarity.

No.

Just, no.

He took a hold of the blonde's shirt and forcefully pushed him backwards out the door, slamming it closed behind them. Then he locked it for good measure, in case his overly social friends didn't get the message.

“Haru-chan, that was rather rude of-”

Makoto's overly polite unselfishness was cut off by Haru's lips pressing against his. Makoto's body froze mid-admonishment, and his eyes fluttered closed as Haru continued to hold them together. Inexperienced mouths moved hesitantly over one another, both lost deep in concentration. They couldn't hear the scuffling of Nagisa and Rei righting themselves outside the door, or Nagisa's teasing as Rei took a turn being the one to drag him away.

“How do you feel..?” Makoto asked softly when they pulled apart afterward, both flushed from the new experience.

“My stomach is a lot better now,” Haru said truthfully, a genuine smile breaking over his face.

Makoto grinned back, not just for how cute he was, but for what Haru's response told him about the things he had been feeling this week as well.

“Do you think it would be okay... if we were together... like this?” he asked, his eyes filling with hope again. Makoto didn't realize he was still holding tightly to the stone until Haru's fingers snaked in with his and the rock. It was locked between both their palms as they held hands now.

“Hai, Makoto... I think I like your version better.”

 

-

 

Over the years at Iwatobi High School, the popularity of swimming came and went, just as always. An uncommon sort of tradition did take hold during the same time that Haru and Makoto attended there though. It became a standard within its halls for any confession among the students to be accompanied by a smooth, ocean washed stone. Other schools would occasionally scoff at the sappy inclination, calling it “a penguin thing.” Those who knew the truth though, credited it more to a dolphin with good timing.


End file.
